Ding Darling Days Are Here Again on Sanibel Island

Photo Courtesy of http://www.dingdarlingsociety.org

Yep, it’s that time of year again… when we get to experience all of the wonder and awe of our beautiful J.N. Ding Darling Wildlife Refuge!

So, start planning ahead as to which events you will attend with the family because the fun begins on Sunday, October 17th with “Family Day” and runs through Saturday, October 23rd.

There are so many things to do with the kids, including wildlife shows of the many different reptiles and even bald eagles.  There will be a “touch tank” and a “butterfly house” and even a conservation cartoon drawing contest.  Lots of opportunities to create cool nature hand crafts and face painting.

You can take a tram tour through the refuge or go on a cruise around it.  More hands-on would be to take a guided kayak tour and get up close and personal with the wildlife!

Just about anything you could ask for during this action-packed week…

Hope to see you there!

Have a great weekend,

Sandy and Rob

p.s. Sanibel Beach Homes

The Hammerheads on Sanibel Island ROCK!

Photo Courtesy of MySanibel.com

OK, it’s time we pay tribute to a special group of volunteers right here on Sanibel Island called The Hammerheads!

The Hammerheads are a small group of men consisting of Harry Bertossa, Demo Scutakes, George McKinnell, Wally Kain, Sandy Montclar, Les Forney, Sam Bailey and Dean Skaugstad that volunteer over at the Sanibel Historical Museum and Village. These steady-handed, clear-minded, open-hearted (shall I go on…  🙂 ) men should make us all proud!

Because it is through their efforts that ALL of the boardwalks at the Museum and Village have been replaced with environmentally-friendly Trex Lumber for the safety of all who visit our beautiful historical site…

Needless to say, you must get out there to 950 Dunlop Road and see their handywork, it’s really somethin’!!

You can read more about Sanibel Historical Museum and Village right here or, of course, you can always refer back to the post I wrote to you on April 16th called “A Walk Down Memory Lane” right here in this blog…

Thanks Hammerheads!  We love you!

Have a great weekend,

Sandy and Rob

p.s. Sanibel Island Beach Homes – Come and get ’em!

Brazilian Pepper Trees on Sanibel Island Be Gone!

Yep, the ordinance was finally passed on July 20th that allows for the eradication of this nasty invasive “weed”, the Brazilian Pepper Tree, that has the potential to change the entire foliage habitat here on Sanibel Island if continued to let thrive untouched!

Property owners in Zone 5 (see map below) have 90 days until October 20th to cut down and “treat” the stump and roots with the appropriate herbicide.  You can read details as to how to do this here: Brazilian Pepper Tree Treatment

If you have any questions, be sure to contact Holly Downing at Natural Resources,  472-3700

Enjoy your weekend!

Sandy and Rob

SanCap One Source Realty

Oil Spill To Be Contained Next Week?

Well, hopefully this is the last post ever about this topic…

Evidently, there are many reports that there are several “solutions” in the works to finally resolve the oil crisis happening in the gulf.

British Petroleum (BP) has lost all credibility this week by admitting that they “grossly underestimated” the extent of the spill and the damage that it is causing… Really?   Duh!

Here is the latest NASA Terra satellite photo taken, showing that a massive “arm” of oil is extending out into the open ocean away from the ground zero spot of the damaged oil rig.  Unbelievable!

No words…….

Until next week,

Sandy and Rob

p.s. SanCap One Source Realty

SWFL Oil Spill Resources

As a quick follow-up to last week’s post, I wanted to provide some more resources for you regarding the Deep Horizon Oil Spill Disaster:

http://www.mysanibel.com/Departments/City-Manager-s-Office/News

www.incidentnews.gov/incident/8220

www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com

www.roffs.com/deepwaterhorizon.html

and I also found another great website reporting on every detail over at NaplesNews.com

http://www.naplesnews.com/news/gulf-coast-oil-spill/

There’s so much at risk… so much at stake… I still find it unbelievable…

I also want to wish all the mothers out there a wonderful Mother’s Day weekend!

Until next week,

Sandy and Rob

SanCap One Source Sanibel Island Real Estate

Oil and Water Never Mix for Sanibel Island Wildlife and Tourism

Uuuuuf!   There are no words, are there?

As we all brace for the possibility of oil washing up on our unbelievably beautiful shores, preparations have begun and emergency plans are being activated in an effort to minimize the damage and save as much wildlife as is possible.

The biggest concern at this time of year in particular, of course, is our already endangered sea turtle friends making their way to our beaches as we speak.

We can only hope that they will sense the danger and migrate more south this year.

Sanibel Island (and all of SWFL) could be spared if the weather and ocean currents cooperate, that is, barring the assurance that the guilty oil rig causing this environmental castastrophe can be repaired quickly and stop the “hemorrhaging” of its gushing oil.

You know that I try to keep this blog as upbeat and positive as possible, giving you tidbits about Sanibel and Captiva that anyone visiting or planning to live here would like to know about, however, sometimes there are issues that affect us all and need to be brought up.  This is one of those issues.

So?  What can we do at this point?

Best advice?  Contact the Sanibel Captiva Conservation Foundation or the J.N. Ding Darling Wildlife Refuge for the lastest information and the possibility for you to volunteer to help…

This affects us all and should be taken seriously…  Our collective “fingers crossed” that Sanibel and Captiva Islands are spared on this one!

Talk with you next week,

Sandy and Rob

p.s.  Also, here’s a tiny primer on Oil Spills

Turtle Nesting Season on Sanibel Island Has Arrived Again

Hey guys,

Yes, it’s that time of year again when we all need to be alert and aware of the incoming loggerhead mother turtles making their way to our beaches to lay their precious eggs.

Our Turtle Nesting Season begins May 1st and runs through October 31st…

I know I write about this every year, but it’s because it’s so very important and so very integral to everything that we are, here on Sanibel and Captiva Islands.

Eve Haverfield started “Turtle Time” in 1989 to protect loggerhead sea turtles from becoming an endangered species… Kudos to her! 🙂

You can visit her website at www.TurtleTime.org and see videos, as well as read about the different laws and regulations associated with the protection of sea turtles and their nesting habits.

I’ve also tracked down a news video clip showing a little bit of her work…

We all need to participate and help educate our island tourist visitors about this very important topic…

Here’s another link to the Sanibel Conservation Group and the Sanibel City Manager’s Office which also outline the guidelines to be followed during this summer nesting season.

So, there you go… Be careful where you step over the next few months!

Hope your spring is going well and be sure to stop by and see us, ok?

Have a great weekend,

Sandy and Rob

p.s.  SanCap One Source  – Sanibel Island Real Estate

“Living Sanibel” Nature Guide Is One-of-a-Kind!

Ok, I am bursting at the seams to tell you about a great new book by Charles Sobczak, that’s just come out called “Living Sanibel”.

It is the only book of its kind that comprehensively takes you through the environmental history of Sanibel and Captiva, all the way to awesome updated maps of the island’s kayak and biking trails, as well as all of the hiking paths.

It’s a true field guide for both Sanibel and Captiva and also gives us detailed infomation about the J.N. “Ding” Darling Education Center, the new CROW Visitor Information Center, the SCCF Nature Center, the Bailey-Mathews Shell Museum, the Sanibel Historical Museum, the new Sanibel Recreation Center and the Tarpon Bay Explorers Center.

Oh, and with more than 600 full color photos with descriptions in between, this is one book that is a must-buy if you live or play on Sanibel or Captiva!

(Pssst… they even feature 3 of my very own photos on pages 197 and 204, which is the bobcat and panther section… Pretty cool!)

Every species of bird, mammal, reptile, amphibian, fish, shell, insect, and plant found on Sanibel and Captiva Islands is accounted for… all 291 of them!

You can read more about it here:  Living Sanibel

And you can actually purchase the book right here:  Indigo Press – Buy Living Sanibel

Enjoy your weekend and we’ll see you next week,

Sandy and Rob

p.s.  SanCap One Source Realty

Restoring the Red Mangrove Population on Sanibel Island

There are so many distinctive features on Sanibel Island, but few more dramatic than the shrub-bush type trees with long tangled roots growing out of sort of “mucky” brown water.

These beauties are known as Red Mangrove trees and they are prevalant in several coastal areas all over Florida and the world, and are particularly well-known right here in Sanibel and Captiva.

They are known to protect coastlines from erosion, fish and birds from predators and inlands from hurricanes and other tropical storms.

They are so important to the  natural ecosystem here on Sanibel and Captiva.  Since Hurricane Charlie hit in 2004 and wiped out a large portion of the red mangrove population, a concerted efftort has taken place since then to help repopulate the island with pre-hurricane mangrove numbers.

Sabrina Lartz, a research assistant at the Sanibel Captiva Conservation Foundation, is spearheading the effort which has included more than 250 students from the area volunteering to help with the restoration project.

You can read all about it right here and contact the SCCF as well for more details.

That’s it for this week!

Have a great weekend,

Sandy and Rob

p.s.  SanCap One Source Real Estate is on a roll…

Can Sanibel Island Go Fertilizer-Free?

A hot island topic, to be sure, is the use of fertilizers in landscaping on Sanibel Island.

As summer approaches, we all must become aware again of the dangers that fertilizers containing nitrogen and phosphorous have to our local water quality.  The run-off that occurs when placed too close to bodies of water or hard surfaces and storm drains poses a significant threat to our natural environment.

Records show that the sale of residential fertilizer in the Caloosahatchee region increased 62 percent between 2003 and 2006 causing unnecessary risk and potential harm to our coastal wildlife, as well as encouraging algae bloom growth.

The Sanibel Fertilizer Ordinance was adopted in 2007 and to this day, remains an example for all Florida landscapers when it comes to protecting water quality and the local environment.

Many homeowners simply do not understand that over-fertilizing is not only harmful, but a lot of the time is completely unnecessary, especially with a little education in knowing which plants to use in their yards and gardens that do not require fertilizer at all.  You can see an excellent article and list of the right and wrong plants right here at the Sanibel’s Waters excellent website.

An article on News-Press.com just yesterday reminded me that this would be a great topic to discuss today due to its timeliness and need for awareness, so I hope that this has been informational and that you will help spread the word regarding a “Fertilizer-Free Sanibel Island”.  Thanks!

Have a great weekend,

Sandy and Rob

p.s.  Check out our new listings over at SanCap One Source Realty!